Workman's joke that backfired

A WORKMAN'S practical joke with a lighter left his teenage colleague with severe burns and £460,000 damage at a factory. A court heard how William Pojunas produced his lighter after Daniel Watts, 17, accidentally knocked over a bucket of paint thinners, getting it on his trousers. Pojunas twice flicked his lighter at his workmate's boot and his trousers burst into flames.

A WORKMAN'S practical joke with a lighter left his teenage colleague with severe burns and £460,000 damage at a factory.

A court heard how William Pojunas produced his lighter after Daniel Watts, 17, accidentally knocked over a bucket of paint thinners, getting it on his trousers.

He said: "Shall we see if you go up?"

Mr Watts replied, `Of course I will' but Pojunas twice flicked his lighter at his workmate's boot and his trousers burst into flames.

Shocked colleagues quickly doused the flames with a fire extinguisher, but the spilt thinners on the floor were already alight, David Watson, prosecuting, said. The factory had to be evacuated and the fire brigade were called to Delta Laminates, in Golbourne, Wigan.

At the height of the blaze 47 firefighters tackled the fire but the roof was destroyed and machinery and stock damaged beyond repair by the fire or water. Over the following 12 months the firm's turnover was down by £1million as a result of the incident, Mr Watson said.

Scarred

Mr Watts, who was in excrutiating pain, regained consciousness in hospital where he was detained for 11 days in November, 2005. He had burns to his lower left leg which needed skin grafts and burns to his hands. He has been left permanently scarred.

He had to have therapy to help him walk again, had to attend the burns unit once a week for eight months and a nurse had to attend his home each day to change his dressings.

He was off work until last July and the incident has affected his lifestyle and left him embarrassed by his injuries, Mr Watson said. Pojunas, 20, of Greenway, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to inflicting grievous bodily harm and arson, being reckless whether life was endangered.

Sentencing him to three years' detention Judge John Phipps said he accepted he had not intended to harm Mr Watts. But the judge said: "Nevertheless what you did was hugely dangerous."

Paul Becker, defending, said, "It was a practical joke which went very badly wrong and he is genuinely sorry for his actions and has written a letter of apology to the complainant ."